PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia hospitals such as Einstein Medical Center and Temple University Hospital kick off their efforts to vaccinate their front-line staff against COVID-19 on Wednesday morning and throughout the day.
City Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley calls it a turning point in the fight against the coronavirus, but it will likely be months before other Philadelphians can get the vaccine.
This first round of the Pfizer vaccine is enough to vaccinate 13,650 health care workers. Farley expects more next week — though he doesn’t know how much — plus 27,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine if it’s approved.
Approval of the second vaccine is considered likely, as the FDA advisory panel discussing it on Thursday is the same group that endorsed the Pfizer vaccine last week.
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“In general, I consider vaccines to be the greatest discovery in medicine and I’m very hopeful that this and other vaccines will end this pandemic,” he said.
The goal here, as is the case throughout the country, is to get frontline health care workers and residents and employees at long-term care facilities protected first, and then to move on to first responders.
But to keep things in perspective, there are more than a 100,000 health care workers in the city — and they’re just the first group in line. Next come other essential workers, then people over age 65 and those with underlying conditions.
Farley wouldn’t estimate how long it might take for it to be available to everyone who wants it.
“I can tell you it will be months, so April is not an unreasonable guess, but even that is just a guess,” he said.
In the meantime, he said, it’s important to keep taking precautions.
He believes residents’ restraint over Thanksgiving is the reason that Philadelphia’s surge was lower than the rest of the state and already shows signs of subsiding. He urged the same measures for the upcoming holidays.
“Celebrate with your immediate household members only. Don’t invite your relatives and friends over for the holidays and don’t go to their place. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been tested or they’ve been tested. Don’t get together over the holidays. We know that’s very difficult during this holiday season but don’t make that mistake when we’re so close to the finish line,” Farley said.